Swoopes thought she would get her feet wet in the coaching world by passing along her resume for Loyola's next head coach to look over. Calhoun wondered why Swoopes wasn't shooting higher.

It's hard to imagine a less famous athlete getting the job without prior experience, but Calhoun said what made Swoopes right for the job was her potential ability to develop players and her former coaches' high praise.

"The more I extensively talked to people who coached her, worked with her, mentored her, the more I heard those resounding qualities," Calhoun said.

Swoopes takes over for Eric Simpson, who resigned after four seasons. The Ramblers went 17-15 this past season and 10-6 in the Horizon League, the first time since 1988-89 they won at least 10 conference games.

The hire certainly creates a buzz for the Ramblers, who opened a new arena last season and are prepared to leave the Horizon League for the more rigorous Missouri Valley Conference next season.

"I don't want the perception to be it's just to get some initial kick start," Calhoun said. "We truly believe Sheryl has the intangibles to win championships."

A four-time WNBA champion, six-time All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist, Swoopes understands work ethic and might know how to motivate players and teach pick-and-rolls. But the job of a head coach is far more detailed.

Beyond game planning, scouting and managing timeouts, her job is increasingly complicated by ever-changing and complex NCAA rules, travel logistics, budgets and recruiting.

To her credit, she said she will hire a veteran college coach to be at her side.

"It's definitely a learning process for me," said Swoopes, who won an NCAA championship at Texas Tech, "but it's not one I don't feel I can handle."

She has handled far brighter spotlights — on and off the court.

In 2005, she became one of the highest-profile athletes to publicly acknowledge being homosexual. Now engaged to a man, she shakes off the idea of labels but hopes her players understand they can talk to her about any topic without being judged.

"Everybody goes through things in life," she said. "We have different stages, phases. My life has changed tremendously since 2005, and it's changed for the better. I'm in a different place. But I feel like that experience I went through prepared me for where I am now."

At times emotional, unconventional and admittedly nervous at her introductory news conference, Swoopes said God led her to Loyola so she could inspire players.

"This isn't about Sheryl Swoopes, the athlete who has accomplished all these millions of things," she said. "Its' about Sheryl Swoopes, the coach and mentor who is ready to guide and lead these young women. That is my purpose for being here."

We know all about Swoopes, the player. Swoopes, the coach, is a gamble Loyola hopes will pay off.